1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system that includes a first image processing apparatus that transmits an image processing job and a second image processing apparatus that receives the image processing job transmitted by the first image processing apparatus and executes the job, a method for controlling the same, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that conventionally, an image processing apparatus manages the amount of printing (e.g., the number of sheets or pages printed, the amount of data printed, and so on) that is printed through execution of an image processing job in association with a user ID. This is often carried out for the purpose of letting a user know the amount used for a predetermined period of time, and charging the user for the amount used.
It is also known that, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-196212, an image processing apparatus manages not only the amount printed by the image processing apparatus, but also the amount printed by another image processing apparatus to which the image processing apparatus has requested a print operation.
More specifically, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-196212, an image processing apparatus A first scans an original to generate image data, and then, transmits the generated image data to an image processing apparatus B that is connected to the image processing apparatus A via a network.
The image processing apparatus B executes a print process based on the image data received from the image processing apparatus A, and after the print process ends, the image processing apparatus B notifies the image processing apparatus A that the print process has ended. Upon receiving the notification, the image processing apparatus A updates a print counter value that it manages.
With the above configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-196212, an image processing apparatus can manage not only the amount printed by the image processing apparatus, but also the amount printed by another image processing apparatus.
Recently, an image processing apparatus has been conceived that not only manages the actual printing amount, but also limits the printing amount that can be used by each user. In such an apparatus, the upper limit amount is predetermined for each user by the administrator, and when the amount used by a user has reached his/her set upper limit amount, the execution of an image processing job by that user is limited thereafter.
However, as described by taking Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-196212 as an example, with a configuration in which the image processing apparatus A transmits an image processing job to the image processing apparatus B, and the amount printed by the image processing apparatus B is managed by the image processing apparatus A, such a limitation based on the upper limit amount may not work well in some cases.
That is, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-196212, when a configuration is adopted in which the image processing apparatus A updates the counter value based on a notification from the image processing apparatus B after an image processing job has been executed, the image processing apparatus A does not update the counter until it receives a notification from the image processing apparatus B.
In other words, regardless of the fact that an image processing job has already been transmitted to the image processing apparatus B, the printing amount that is scheduled to be printed by the transmitted image processing job will not be reflected in the counter of the image processing apparatus A until the image processing apparatus A receives a notification from the image processing apparatus B.
Then, even if a configuration is adopted in which whether or not the counter value will exceed an upper limit amount is determined before transmitting an image processing job, the determination is made without consideration of the amount of printing of an image processing job that has already been transmitted to the image processing apparatus B but that has not yet been executed.
Consequently, when a plurality of image processing jobs are transmitted in parallel, a problem can occur in that when the image processing apparatus A updates the counter based on the amount of printing by the image processing apparatus B in response to a notification from the image processing apparatus B indicating that the image processing jobs have been executed, the counter value has already exceeded the upper limit amount.